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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27405829">This Is What Love Stories Are Made Of</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27/pseuds/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27'>TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JATP Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:41:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,985</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27405829</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27/pseuds/TheyDontBurnLikeUs_27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the one-year anniversary of Julie's mom's death and needless to say it's not the best day of her life, but Luke is determined to be right there by her side through it all. And if she cries a little, well, it can't be that bad, can it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Julie Molina/Luke Patterson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>JATP Week 2020 [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2002168</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>190</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>JATP Appreciation Week</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>This Is What Love Stories Are Made Of</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first story ever and I really hope everyone likes it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Luke doesn't like it when girls cry but contrary to popular opinion it has nothing to do with him being unable to handle other people's emotions, it's not even that it makes him uncomfortable. But Reggie and Alex wouldn't believe that even if he told them, so he doesn't.</p><p>It's just that sometimes they tease him about it, a lot, and when that happens he really does want to say something. Because it hurts that they think he has no emotional intelligence and he hates the way it makes him feel.</p><p>But of course, if he told them that they would feel bad and Luke would rather be hurt than know they were hurt any day, or at least any day but today.</p><p>Because today is the one-year anniversary of Julie's mom's death and Luke hasn't seen her since she disappeared under her bedsheets this morning.</p><p>It's been at least a couple of hours since then and she has fallen asleep again, in between Alex and Reggie while Luke sits by himself on the beanbag chair.</p><p>He must be the worst boyfriend in existence, he was already dead and anything else he'd had going for him must have flown out the window when Alex and Reggie had pushed him off of Julie's bed this morning saying that he didn't have to stay because they wouldn't want him to feel uncomfortable in a desperate attempt to make her laugh.</p><p>They were trying to lighten the mood but Luke being the idiot he was hadn't tried to go back over to the bed or anything. He would have gone if she'd asked for him, or if they'd made room for him or anything really, but instead, he was frozen to his seat.</p><p>This was why he hated it when people cried, girls in particular; because he hated feeling helpless. It was all of those terrible days when Reggie's parents had been particularly loud or Alex's parents had been especially cold. So many times they had come to him in quiet resignation and he hadn't been able to do a thing except hold them.</p><p>Even more than that he hated it for all those days he'd fought with his mom when they'd shouted at each other until doors were slammed and they retreated to their respective rooms. Rooms that were right next to each other and had thin enough walls that Luke could hear his mother crying.</p><p>He hated that sound, hated that he had been the one to cause it, on the really bad days he'd even hated himself for not being the son they'd wanted, it wasn't their fault they'd got stuck with him.</p><p>He wasn't an idiot, he knew he'd got pretty damn lucky as far as life goes. So what if he fought with his parents and felt out of place in his own home? How could it matter that he was being suffocated by his parent's resistance to his dreams when Alex's parents only spoke to him if they thought he'd messed up. It couldn't matter that he felt alone sometimes when Reggies was knocking at his window because his parents were so loud it had been days since he slept.</p><p>Somewhere along the way, it felt like his desperate whispers of "it doesn't matter" had turned into "I don't matter, not when other people have it worse, not when other people have an actual reason to be hurting."</p><p>But now was not the time for this, because today was about as far from the right day to unpack this as he could have gotten.</p><p>Today was about Julie, not him. And he refused to make the same mistake with Julie that he'd made with his mom.</p><p>Julie was a star, and she deserved the whole world. He was determined to give it to her, along with the entirety of his heart, which if he was being honest had belonged to her before they'd ever even met. She was the dream he'd never thought would come true and today was about her.</p><p>He'd get her through today, he would get through today and then he could start worrying about tomorrow.</p><p>With that thought in mind Luke finally stood up to make his way back over to the bed "Hey um… do you mind moving over Reg?" Luke asked quietly. Reggie looked around for a minute as if he were trying to figure out where he should move, there really wasn't much space with all three of them laying in the bed and no one wanted to accidentally wake Julie.</p><p>"Hey, why don't we go make Julie some lunch and Luke can stay here with her?" Alex suggested while Reggie jumped up excited about this new way to help "will you be okay by yourself Luke?" Reggie asked teasingly as Alex rolled his eyes and pulled the energetic ghost out through the door.</p><p>Luke let out the breath he'd been holding and moved to lay beside Julie. He gently pulled the blankets away from her face and gave her a slightly hesitant kiss on the cheek before laying down next to her.</p><p>For the next fifteen minutes Luke stared at the clock on Julie's nightstand and agonized over every possible variation of every conversation he and Julie might have when she woke up, he tried to guess what might have a good impact and what wouldn't but even in his head, every scenario ended with him sounding like a total and complete idiot.</p><p>'God was this what it was like to be Alex?' Luke wondered, obsessing over every terrible thing that could happen to the point of it being completely and utterly unrealistic…</p><p>His thoughts were interrupted by a light shifting in the mattress, as he looked over his eyes met hers and the warmth and comfort surged through him, calming his frazzled nerves. He was pretty sure that the same could be said of Julie because she was giving him a very small watery smile.</p><p>"Hey," he said without thinking, mentally berating himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth, although Julie to her benefit didn't seem to mind and added a quiet "hey" of her own.</p><p>She shifted closer and wrapped her arms around Luke's torso, pressing her face against his chest. Instinctively Luke wrapped his arms around her bringing her even closer to him, it felt nice, no it felt wonderful and he didn't think he would ever get over the miracle that was this girl in his arms.</p><p>And the fact that he could hold her in the first place…</p><p>"Luke," she whispered "where are Alex and Reggie?" he felt his heart stutter, he knew he wasn't great with comforting her, not in the way he was with Alex and Reggie, but he'd hoped he'd at least done alright.</p><p>"They're in the kitchen making you grilled cheese but I can go get them" he offered but she shook her head "don't go" she whispered pressing her face closer "I won't but I can call them if you want them or…" Julie shook her head "No, I just want you" she said.</p><p>Luke's heart skipped a beat at the simplicity with which she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but to him it was everything.</p><p>God, he was so in love with this girl.</p><p>"Okay," he said not sure how to respond with the sudden block in his throat. God, why did bad things always happen to good people? Julie Molina deserved so much more from this world than what she'd got, she deserved everything.</p><p>"Where were you this morning?" Julie asked and if you'd asked him later Luke would have sworn that that moment broke his heart "I was, was in here… I was sitting in the beanbag chair…" he trailed off.</p><p>She hadn't known he was here, he thought he'd left her alone. How could he have been such an idiot? Especially today…</p><p>"I'm so sorry Jules, I thought you knew I was here… and Reggie and Alex were there and there wasn't really room… they kept joking about how I can't handle when people cry and I wanted to be there for you… I didn't know you wanted me… I would have been there for you Jules, I swear…" Luke stuttered swallowing and biting down on his tongue to stop his rambling.</p><p>Somehow Julie shifted through his stuttering and latched onto a single phrase "I'll always want you Luke" she said "and I knew you were in the room, you just seemed…" she trailed off "distracted?" Luke offered which made Julie nod her head "ya."</p><p>Her presence was soothing and Luke felt himself relaxing against her, Julie let out a quiet yawn and Luke pulled her closer until she was practically on top of him. It had been stupid of him to get so worked up over her because it was Julie and as long as it was Julie everything would be fine.</p><p>He snuggled in closer to her warmth, even if he couldn't get cold anymore he could still feel her warmth it and it was comforting.</p><p>"I miss her so much," Julie said finally, long after Luke thought she was asleep "and I know she's looking out for me and Carlos and Dad" she took a deep breath "and somehow I found you and it feels like maybe right now things are finally back to how they're supposed to be."</p><p>Luke smiled down at her, remembering how far she had come since they had met and how she was the bravest, strongest, sweetest person he had ever met and how she made him feel alive and suddenly he couldn't help it, he leaned over and kissed her.</p><p>He felt her tense a little bit before melting into him. It wasn't the first time they'd kissed but somehow it was better every time.</p><p>Julie sighed contentedly as she pulled away from Luke, a small smile on her face and a light pink flush to her cheeks. Suddenly Luke understands why pink is Alex's favorite color.</p><p>"Thank you" Julie whispers into his ear as she lays back down, this time she lays completely on top of him and her comforting weight makes Luke sigh contentedly "for what?" he asks "for being here with me."</p><p>Luke smiles at her words. Even though he knows that he doesn't have to say anything and that Julies not expecting a response, the words come anyways, as easily as writing a song.</p><p>"I'll always be here with you Jules, as long as you'll have me." He said his arms already secured around her waist. Julie nuzzled her face into his neck and kissed under his jaw and along his neck sleepily.</p><p>Suddenly the words that he'd been wanting to say for weeks came out without a second thought "I'm in love with you" he felt Julie freeze and pull away from him "I love you Jules and you don't have to say anything back because I know it's soon and I mean technically I'm dead and this was probably the wrong day to tell you this but-" She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him "I love you too" she said with a small smile "and I think I needed to hear that more today than I ever have before."</p><p>She smiled at him and he smiled back and at that moment everything was right in the world because Julie was there and she loved him and when a tear rolled down her cheek it didn't matter because this time it was because she was happy.</p><p>His heart felt all warm and fuzzy at the thought that she could love him, and even though Luke had never been into romance he'd seen enough to know that this feeling, the feeling he got with Julie.</p><p>This was what loves stories were made of.</p>
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